Not often can we make life-changing journeys. This is the story of a unique travel of ten girls from Pakistan to a land which seemed out of their reach -- their very own neighbour, India. A true adventure sprinkled with plenty of magic.

The journey began in Islamabad, first in their hearts, as a peace mission to India.  It began under the able guidance of Hajra Ahmed, the principal of the Khaldunia School in Islamabad, who along with history and literature teacher Jamaluddin, and Tahira, an enthusiastic volunteer, dared to dream of a mission of peace. Ten girl students and their teachers decided to put caution aside, in every sense, and make the journey to a city within the hotbed of religious tension in India -- Lucknow. Their trip was to be made around the same time as another trip across the border -- of President Musharraf to meet with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Any guesses as to which was more successful?

It all started with the Sachi-muchi magazine -- a small gesture towards friendship which carried the hopes of children from India to children in Pakistan. Sachi-muchi is brought out by a team of volunteers of Asha, an activist group based in India. It is not merely a magazine but a campaign dedicated to peace between India and Pakistan. The idea is that activists and friends from across both the borders will go to schools and initiate a discussion on common social issues facing the children.

It is astonishing what a seemingly small initiative can do to build human bonds. As one of the girls put it, My main aim will be to make the Indians realize that the people of Pakistan (excluding politicians) do not have enmity towards Indians. They lived together for centuries in peace and harmony before the partition and now the boundary should not stop them from having good, friendly relations. Both countries should continue their struggle towards developing good relations through peaceful methods. This trip is a stage in the process. It is said that if people are willing they can bring about a revolution. One should assume that interaction between people of both countries could play a major role in improving relations. If politicians have been unsuccessful, the people can be successful!

And so they boarded the aptly named 'Dosti' bus from Wagha at the border and made their way to the Indian capital, New Delhi, on 10th July 2001. Across the border, a team of eager volunteers from Asha had worked for months to make this possible. Arundhati, Praneeta, Mahesh, Kusum, Bobby, Ashish, Neelam and Parmita were anxiously making all arrangements to be the best possible hosts and let the girls have the time of their lives. They wanted to make the girls feel at home away from home.

The first few friends were made with a curious group of youngsters from the Mothers International School hostel in Delhi. Soon they were whisked away by Mahesh and Kusum on the Gomti Express to the capital city Lucknow close to which the Babri Masjid was demolished not long ago plunging India into a state of communal tension.  This was going to be different though  At Lucknow they met with the most unexpected welcome. It was close to midnight but the platform was swarming with well-wishers and media folks. In all their enthusiasm, the media persons interviewed girls from Lucknow, thinking they were from Pakistan. Because it was hard to tell them apart!

Each girl had a host family which would care for her during her stay. The response of the people of Lucknow to the girls was overwhelming. The homes they were staying in were the focus of the entire neighbourhood, with all the surrounding households wanting to meet the girls and spend time with them. Auto-rickshaw drivers in Lucknow wanted to be part of the Asha team that made this possible. Some UP Ministers quickly came forward to add their names to the guest lists so they could be seen as proponents of peace.

The plan was to visit 10 schools in Lucknow and Kanpur, where the students had taken great pains to convey their welcome and message of love. The children put up many plays and poetry recitations for their guests almost always ending with 'Hum Honge Kaamyab' (We shall overcome).

Many had completely different perceptions about the people of Pakistan. An opportunity to interact with children not so different from them broke many barriers of prejudice and mistrust. There were no hidden agendas, just simple curiosity and plenty of trust and fun. The media response was also tremendous. By the end of their week's stay in the city, the girls and the organisers of the trip had become experienced in giving the media the proverbial slip! But of course they did enjoy some of the media attention, with individual interviews and group photographs being hot favourites.

An important part of their activities were the hours they squeezed in to shop! With all the media coverage, shopkeepers at any market they visited recognized them immediately and in typical Lucknowi style gave them huge discounts saying that they were guests of the city, and thus their own guests. Gifts galore poured in from so many unknown people that the girls had to buy excess baggage to carry them back to Pakistan.

The girls' request to be taken to see the blockbuster Hindi movie Lagaan was also accommodated. The reception which they got at the cinema theatre was really overwhelming. Family members of cinema hall employees gave each girl a traditional welcome with aarti, a tika on the foreheads and garlands around their necks. 40 tickets for the hit movie -- despite the fact that the cinema hall was booked out for 8 days in advance -- had been arranged! When an announcement of their presence in the theatre was made, the entire audience adjusted their own seating to accommodate their friends from Pakistan.

There are innumerable episodes which underline the spontaneous love and concern we can show for another human being, but when our politicians and policy makers doctor the sentiments, then things become different.

It is indeed ironical that those whom we elect to power share such a different vision from ours. The Agra summit between Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Musharraf, which happened at the same time, did not leave such lingering nostalgia. It did not appear to achieve much. Perhaps meetings between people achieves more towards peace? And finally, sitting together, trying to make sense of the wars, lost lives, mangled histories, money that could have helped so much elsewhere and the agonising questions which no leader dares to answer... but can someone tell me why are we killing each other? What are we fighting about? Why so much hate, so many lies, so much fear, so much suspicion? Who is to blame?

Can we not celebrate our commonalities, enjoy our differences and give peace a chance? We have a lot to learn from our children. Who knows -- we may even have a good time in the process! As Arundhati Dhuru, one of the key organizers says, From the response of the people it is very clear that everyone wants peace. If enough voices from both sides are raised for peace we don't see why the wall of hatred, animosity, suspicion and unfamiliarity between the two countries cannot be brought down (like the wall of Berlin).